Illuminated display sign



June 3, 1969 HI. com 3,441,253

ILLUMINATED DISPLAY SIGN Filed Oct. 28. 1966 Sheet of 2 Terrence G a CATTQIQ/QEY/ June 3, 1969 T, M, cow 3,447,253

ILLUMINATED DISPLAY SIGN Filed Oct. 28, 1966 Sheet 3 of 2 CfiT'TORIOEYf United States Patent ice 3,447,253 ILLUMINATED DISPLAY SIGN Terrence M. Coad, Rockford, Ill., assignor to Snaplite Displays, Inc., Rockford, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Oct. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 590,323 Int. Cl. G09f 13/00 US. Cl. 40-130 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A lighted display sign includes individually illuminated and interchangeable letters detachably snapped on and energized through parallel conducting rails mounted on a sign board. Each letter is formed as a flat printed circuit board designed in the shape of the particular letter and capable of conducting current from the rails to lamps attached to the board. The rails are extruded or molded from plastic which is coated with electrical conducting material and, in one embodiment, are formed integrally with a plastic display face to enable manufacture of the sign board as a one-piece unit.

This invention relates to an illuminated display sign of the type in which interchangeable sign characters in the form of letters or numbers are mounted on a sign board to convey an advertising message and are lighted by lamps on the characters themselves. More particularly the invention constitutes an improvement over the display sign disclosed in my copending application, Ser. No. 512,354, filed Dec. 8, 1965, now US. Patent No. 3,404,- 475 issued Oct. 8, 1968 in which mounting clips on the characters and supporting rails on the sign board also serve as conductors of the energizing circuits for the lamps.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved display sign of the above character which is simpler in construction and more economical to manufacture than prior signs of the same general type.

A more detailed object is to form the characters from relatively rigid insulating boards having current-conducting elements printed on the faces thereof to minimize the number and complexity of the structural elements needed for the characters.

A further object is to reduce the cost of the sign board by forming the conducting and supporting rails from plastic coated with electrical conducting material.

A related object is to provide a onepiece sign board capable of supporting the characters and conducting electrical current to the lamps.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a new and improved display sign embodying the novel features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a representative character detached from the sign board and with parts removed.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-section taken substantially along the line 44 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 but with parts removed and showing a modified form of the printed conducting elements.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of a further embodiment of a sign board.

3,447,253 Patented June 3, 1969 FIG. 7 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 3 but showing a different character.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of another embodiment of a sign character.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8 but showing a modified arrangement of the printed conducting elements.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-section taken substantially along the line 10-10 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of parts shown in FIG. 10. As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a display sign of the type especially suitable for use in restaurants, bars and retail establishments for advertising and merchandising purposes. Herein, the sign comprises a generally rectangular display board 10 having a pair of vertically spaced rails 11 and 12 for supporting interchangeable sign characters 13 in the form of letters or numbers which are arranged on the rails to convey an advertising or informative message and are individually illuminated by one or more electric lamps 15 (FIGS. 2 and 3). While only one character is shown as attached to the sign board in FIG. 1, it will be understood that any number of characters may be arranged on the board in any desired manner and reference is made to the aforementioned application to illustrate an exemplary arrangement.

In this instance, the rails 11 and 12 are generally cylindrical in configuration and extend parallel to each other along a forward display face 16 of the sign board 10. In addition to supporting the character 13, the rails conduct electrical current to the lamps 15 from a suitable power source (not shown), current being supplied to the rail through leads 17 and 18 (FIG. 2) connecting the rails with the output terminals of the power source. To conduct current between the rails and the lamps and to support the character on the rails, a pair of resiliently yieldable mounting clips 21 and 22 carried by the character are connected to the terminals of the lamps and are adapted to snap over and engage the rails, thus completing a circuit between the power source and the lamps and also holding tthe character on the display board.

I Herein, the clips are spaced vertically from one another in accordance with the spacing of the rails and each clip is formed with a pair of spring metal legs 23 (FIG. 3) adapted to snap over one of the rails to obtain good electrical contact between the clip and the rail. With this arrangement, the lamps are illuminated as an incident to attaching the character to the board, and the clips and the rails both perform the dual functions of supporting the character and conducting current to the lamps.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the sign character 13 is formed from a single relatively rigid board 24 (FIG. 3) of electrical insulating material having the shape of the character and having conducting strips 25 and 26 printed of the faces thereof to define energizing circuits conducting current between the clips 21 and 22 and the lamps 15. Accordingly, the characters are simpler in construction, more economical to manufacture and require fewer structural elements than prior devices of the same general type.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the character 13 has the shape of the letter I, and the insulating board 24 forming the frame or body of the character is simply stamped or blanked from a sheet of suitable non-conductive and relatively rigid material such as a fiber or plastic used for printed circuit boards. Preferably, the conductor strips 25 and 26 are made of copper foil and are formed on the board by the usual plating and etching technique commonly employed in the production of printed electronic circuits. In the present instance, the strips extend parallel to and are spaced laterally from each other on the forward face of the board and are insulated from one another by the nonconductive material of the board.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 3, each lamp has one terminal connected to the strip by a lead wire v28 and its other terminal connected to the strip 26 by a lead wire 29. The Wires themselves support the lamps on the insulating board 24 thus eliminating the need for lamp-supporting sockets and resulting in an extremely inexpensive arrangement. The mounting clips 21 and 22 are held on the rear face of the insulating board and are fastened to the strips 25 and 26, respectively, by metal rivets and 31 (FIG. 3) extending through the clips and the board and establishing good electrical conduction between the clips and the strips. Accordingly, an energizing circuit for the lamps 15 is created from the lead 17, through the rail 11, the clip 21 and the rivet 30, and into the lamps through the strip 25. From the lamps, the circuit extends through the strip 26, the rivet 31 and the clip 22, and back to the lead 18 through the rail 12.

To protect the lamps 15 and the conducting strips 25 and 26 and also to enhance the appearance of the character 13, a cover 35 (FIGS. 1 and 2) molded of translucent, hcat-resistant plastic and having the same shape as the character overlies the lamps and is fastened to the insulating board 24. Herein, the cover is U-shaped in crosssection and is formed around its periphery and an inwardly opening channel 36 adapted to snap over and resiliently interlock with the edges of the board to hold the cover detachably on the board. Removal of the cover may be effected simply by spreading the edge portions of the channel away from the rear face of the board. The cover adds rigidity to the character, diffuses the light emitted by the lamps and also protects the latter. If desired, the covers may be made of different colors so that the entire color effect of the sign may be varied merely by replacing one cover with another of a different color.

While the conductor strips 25 and 26 for the character 13 have been shown as extending parallel to each other, it is apparent that various other circuit arrangements may be used. For example, in the modification shown in FIG. 5, conducting strips 25' and 26 are generally L-shaped and are formed with pairs of ears 37 to which the leads of the lamps may be soldered. For characters of different shapes, such as the character 13 (FIG. 7) formed as a letter N, a pair of printed conducting strips 25" and 26" extend generally parallel to each other across the entire face of the board 24" and are shaped in accordance with the shape of the character in order that the lamps 15 may be widely spaced from each other to avoid dark spots at the corners of the character.

A modified character 40 is shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 in which a pair of conducting strips 41 and 42 are disposed on opposite sides of an insulating board 43 and conduct current to lamp sockets 44 which receive lamps 45. In the illustrated form, the board is shaped as a letter A with the conducting strip 41 being printed on the upper half and the forward face of the board and being connected to a mounting clip 47 by a rivet 48. The conducting strip 42 (FIG. 10) is printed on the lower half of the rear face of the board and is connected by rivets 49 to a pair of mounting clips 50 disposed at the lower ends of the legs of the A. It is apparent that the two conducting strips are insulated from each other by the non-conductive material of the insulating board and thus define a circuit for carrying current between the clips and the lamps.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 10 and 11, the sockets 44 are of the bayonet type and each includes a cylindrical sleeve 52 formed with a pair of downwardly opening and diametrically opposed bayonet slots 53 interlocking with pins 54 projecting radially from the base of the lamp 45. Fastened to the upper end of each sleeve is a spring metal clip 55 formed with a pair of parallel fingers 56 extending downwardly alongside the sleeve and bearing against the forward face of the insulating board 43. The clip 55 further includes a third and centrally disposed finger 57 which projects rearwardly through a hole 58 formed through the insulating board and is urged into contact with the conducting strip 42 by virtue of the resiliency of the material of the clip. The clip 55 thus conducts current between the strip 42 and one terminal of the lamp and also holds the lamp and the socket on the board. Herein, the other terminal of the lamp contacts the lower end of a headed metal pin 60 extending downwardly through the clip 55 and into the upper end of the sleeve. Current from the forward strip 41 is conducted to the pin by an L-shaped connector 61 formed with a horizontal leg fastened to the pin and with a vertical leg which is urged into face-to-face contact with the forward strip 41 by the resilient fingers 56 and 57. A plastic grommet 63 encircling the body of the pin and sandwiched between the clip 55 and the connector 61 insulates the clip from the pin and the connector to separate the two sides of the circuit. Because of the sockets 44, the character 40 is somewhat more expensive to manufacture than the previously described characters but it is more economical in use and has a longer service life since burned-out lamps may be replaced quite easily.

A modified character 40' is shown in FIG. 8 in which the conducting strip 41' is printed on the forward face and the lower half of the insulating board 43, and the conducting strip 42' is disposed on the upper half of the rear face of the board. It is apparent that the lamps and the sockets will face upwardly instead of downwardly when attached to the insulating board of this embodiment.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sign board 10 and the mounting rails 11 and 12 are formed integrally from a single piece of plastic or other similar material which may be molded or extruded quite easily, and the rails are subsequently coated with an electrical conducting material for conducting current between the leads 17 and 18 and the lamps 15. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rails and the sign board are joined integrally by continuous ribs 60 extending along the length of the display face 16 and projecting forwardly from the latter. While other materials and fabricating processes may be employed, the board, the ribs and the rails preferably are made of polyethylene and are formed by extruding the material through an appropriately shaped die. If desired, a horizontal base 61 (FIGS. 1 and 2) may be formed at the lower end of the board to support the same in an upright position on a display shelf.

After the forming process, the outer plastic surfaces of the rails 11 and 12 are coated with a layer 62 (FIG. 2) of metallic foil such as aluminum or copper. Such coating may be accomplished in various Ways as, for example, by vapor plating the rails or by wrapping the outer surfaces with strips of metallized tape. The leads 17 and 18 are connected electrically to the metallic coating so that the current will be conducted along the rail to the mounting clips 21 and 22. With this arrangement, the sign board may be manufactured with relatively inexpensive materials and by an extremely simple process thus resulting in a board which is less costly than those previously used for related purposes.

A modification of the above-described arrangement is shown in FIG. 6 in which each plastic rail 11 and 12' coated with a metallic layer 62' is formed integrally with its own mounting plate 64 disposed perpendicular to the elongated rib 60. The mounting plates may be cemented to any suitable surface 65 such as a wall or an existing sign board thus eliminating the need of manufacturing a support for the rails and further reducing the cost of the display sign.

I claim as my invention:

1. An illuminated display character comprising, in combination, a printed circuit board having a flat insulated backing and having strips of conducting material bonded to said backing in spaced relation with each other and insulated from each other by the backing, at least one lamp disposed on one side of said board and electrically connected across said strips to mount the lamp on the board for energization through the strips, two conducting fasteners disposed on the other side of said board and each connected to one of said strips, a cover having a translucent wall portion in the shape of the particular character overlying said one side with said lamp between said circuit board and said wall portion, and means on said cover joining the latter to said circuit board along the edges of said backing whereby the cover braces said circuit board, protects the interior of the character and diffuses light from said lamp when the latter is energized.

2. A display character as defined in claim 1 in which said conducting strips are both disposed on one side of said board.

3. A display character as defined in claim 2 further including flexible leads extending from the terminals of said lamp and fastened to said conducting strips.

4. A display character as defined in claim 1 in which said conducting strips are disposed on opposite sides of said board.

5. A display character as defined in claim 4 further comprising a lamp socket mounting said lamp on said board, said socket including a sleeve electrically connected to one of said strips.

6. A display character as defined in claim 5 further including a resiliently yieldable finger connected to said sleeve and urged into contact with said one strip, said finger being disposed on the opposite side of said board from said sleeve and resiliently gripping the board to hold the sleeve on the board.

7. An illuminated display character having, in combination, a printed circuit board having a fiat insulated backing formed in the shape of the particular character and strips of conducting material bonded to said backing in spaced relation with each other and insulated from each other by the backing, at least one lamp disposed on one side of said board and electrically connected across said strips to mount the lamp on the board for energization through the strips, two conducting fasteners disposed on the other side of said board and each connected to one of said strips, a cover having a translucent Wall in the shape of said character overlying said one side with said lamp between said circuit board and said wall, and means on said cover joining the latter to said circuit board along the edges of said backing whereby the cover braces said circuit board, protects the interior of the character and diffuses light from said lamp when the latter is energized.

8. In a sign board for supporting an illuminated display character having mounting and current-conducting clips, the combination of, a one-piece rail formed of plastic and adapted to engage one of the clips to support the character, and a coating of electrical conductive material on said plastic rail for conducting electrical current to the engaged clip.

9. The combination defined in claim 11 in which said sign board includes a plastic display face and pair of parallel plastic rails formed integrally with and projecting outwardly from said display face for engaging the clips, and a coating of electrical conductive material on each of said rails for conducting electrical current to the engaged clips.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 696,775 4/1902 Tripp et a1. 4O130 1,914,161 6/1933 Pistocco -130 2,778,134 1/1957 Willey 40--130 3,221,432 12/1965 Gold 4O-130 FOREIGN PATENTS 331,358 7/1930 Great Britain.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

WENCESLAO I. CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner. 

